Memory Monday: Like A Fish Out of Water

Last winter, I had a really enjoyable task set before me: I had the pleasure of helping a friend search for her first horse.  I love horse searching because I like the chase of a good find, but more importantly, if I am helping someone else search, then I am not doing the actual buying.

Very good indeed, especially from the point of view of my pocketbook.

So last winter, the goal was to find an eventer and I dutifully sorted through all kinds of classifieds, memory of random horses I knew, and more.  I had found a couple promising leads in a nearby state so one day, I got off early from work and off we went.

The gelding of interest was a seven or eight year old Thoroughbred.  I don't really remember the details, except he was supposed to be a nice mover, experienced at jumping, and was in the expected price range of an eventer.

As I found out, there were several surprises on this trip. 

The first one was when we pulled into the barn.  We had been to several other barns already and I have been in a plethora of facilities over the years.  However, this one was different.  It looked like a movie set with perfectly groomed paths, plants, and the rare well groomed and blanketed horse standing in a all weather paddock.  Never mind, that it was the middle of winter in the Midwest. 

We were escorted into the barn which was heated to a temperature warm enough that I felt compelled to peel off the five extra winter layers I was wearing.  Then I noticed the custom artwork on the walls of the barn.  This was the first barn I've ever been in with leather furniture and artwork in the barn aisles.  It was absolutely magnificent. 

And I was more than outclassed at that point in my work clothes complete with barn jacket and winter boots. Nevertheless, we continued on as my friend tried out the horse.  I made myself cozy in the enormous indoor arena, settling like a lizard under the heat lamp.  This was also the first heated indoor I've ever been in that had heat lamps available for spectators.  Amazing.

Another spectator made himself comfortable next to me, as he watched a lady school a upper level dressage horse in the indoor.  He kindly told me that the attached lounge had a Keurig and bagels if I was hungry.  Well, I do share an insatiable love of coffee and food, so I wandered in to look at the surroundings.

As expected, the lounge was majestic.  Leather furniture, beautiful artwork, carefully placed magazines made for another picture perfect image.  Were there really horses on this property? 

I carefully stirred my coffee and enjoyed flipping through a few magazines.  I was a little surprised when another person stopped in, introducing herself politely and asking me if I was capable of using a Keurig or if I'd ever seen one before.  I was a little surprised.  I wasn't Keurig class that day.  :) 

I do actually own and use a Keurig at home.

That aside, I made myself back at home under the heat lamp, basking away happily while videoing the bay Thoroughbred.  My lizard like happiness was once again interjected by another visitor asking me if I needed help finding someone and if I had something to do. 

Note to self: dress code is a little more formal than I had expected.

Back to the Thoroughbred.  He ended up being a bit of a strong horse.  Maybe more like a runaway nut.  In such a pristine environment, he was a difficult ride and seemed out of place.

On the positive side, I did happen to see the cutest short stirrup pony.  I was informed by the other spectator that it was one of the top ones in the country.  Good thing I have good taste in coffee and ponies.

My curiosity got the best of me when we were back driving home.  How much for such grandeur? 

$1200 a month, not including extras.  

Egads. 

Back to the semi feral life for me.

Five Ways to Frustrate Barn Staff

1.  Refuse to move horse from cross ties when equipment needs to be moved through the aisle to muck stalls.  Stalls need to get cleaned right?  Horse can go to the other aisle.  It's a thirty second walk.

2.  When heavy equipment is being moved through the aisle, also a cue to move your horse.  Not to lead more in and cross tie them and go in and warm up in the tack room.  Barn staff are cold too and wouldn't mind finishing up work.

3.  During turnout or turn-in times, also a good idea to not hang out in the cross ties or to act surprised that that horse that is always at the end of the row...needs to go to the end of the row right through where your horse is parked.

4.  If you can't follow or don't know how to do follow up care from a horse's injury, it is awesome to ask.  Together it will be figured out.  Barn staff (usually) love caring for your horses and don't want to see them injured from improper bandages or incorrect injections or so forth.  Even though the staff don't pay the bills, there is often a lot of emotional investment.

5.  Don't say thank you if there is a major problem or issue.  It's a small thing, but after an hour of walking a colicing horse on a cold night, or fixing fence because a naughty horse destroyed it again or so forth.  Simple thanks is a major thing that is often forgotten. 

Anyone else have some frustrations to share?  I know that I didn't always realize how some small things became major frustrations until I was on the other side of the fence so to speak!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Semi Ferals and myself

 

And for those thinking of their equine friends on this day as well, here is something to read. 

The Horses Prayer

 (Author Unknown)

Feed me, water and care for me, and when the days work is done, provide me with shelter, a clean dry bed and a stall wide enough for me to lie down in comfort.

Always be kind to me.  Talk to me.  Your voice often means as much to me as the reins.  Pet me sometimes, that I may serve you the more gladly and learn to love you.

Do not jerk the reins, and do not whip me when going uphill.  Never strike, beat or kick me when I do not understand what you want, but give me a chance to understand you.

Watch me; and if I fail to do your bidding, see if something is wrong with my harness or feet.

I cannot tell you when I am thirsty so give me clean, cool water often.  I cannot tell you in words when I am sick, so watch me, that by signs you may know my condition.

Give me all possible shelter from the hot sun, and put a blanket on me, not when I am working, but when standing in the cold.  Never put a frosty bit in my mouth; first warm it by holding it a moment in your hands.

I try to carry you and your burdens without a murmur, and wait patiently for you long hours of the day or night.  Without the power to choose my shoes or path, I sometimes fall on the hard pavements which I have often prayed might be of such a nature as to give me a safe and sure footing.

Remember that I must be ready at any moment to lose my life in your service.

And finally, O Master, when my useful strength is gone, do not turn me out to starve or freeze, or sell me to some cruel owner to be slowly tortured or starved to death; but do thou, my Master, take my life in the kindest way.  And your God will reward you here and hereafter.  You will not consider me irreverent if I ask this in the name of HIM, who was born in a stable.

Amen

Memory Monday: Another Good Horse

I tend to write as if I am accident prone.  Or just lucky.

And now that I think about it, that is probably the case.  

It was summer.  The herd was in a far off pasture filled with several steep hills.  I don't remember why I chose the horse I did.  I think it was because he was new to the herd and easy to catch.  The older ones tend to get a little smarter and go hide in the trees instead of waltzing up to you like "Hey, you got a carrot?"

But I do remember scrambling up and down some of those hills.  The horses were being obnoxious and were more like herding cats that day instead of herding cattle.  I could see his bright copper ears perked forward.  He enjoyed this job.  I was happy to see him settling into the herd.  

A few gnats settled down on his ears and he shook his head.  Oh crap.  This gelding just had one of those heads that crownpiece would slide right off.  And off it slid. I froze for a second to see what would happen.  He ambled along, just doing his job.  I waited to see how long he would hold the bit in his mouth.  He seemed oblivious to the fact that he was pretty much free to do the whole Man From Snow River Impersonation without any say from me.

But he didn't.  He was a good boy and quietly stopped.  I managed to reach forward and wrangled the bridle back onto his head and finished the job.

Note to self: different bridle for that horse.

Secondary note to self: How on Earth do I manage to have these experiences?

Streptococcus Equi ssp equi

Streptococci.  Sounds like an impressive word. 

Most people recognize it by it's layman term of the disease of which it is associated in equines: strangles.

But what about it?  Many of us have seen horses with strangles and know the ideas behind quarantining new horses, bastard strangles, the debate on the vaccines...

But let's talk about the bacteria itself.  Why not learn more about the basics and then sound really clever when talking with other horsefolks? 

First, it's a bacteria.  This is cool because it means that it can be susceptible to antibiotics.

I think it's kind of a cool bacteria because it forms chains or these cute little pairs.  It is a gram positive bacteria, so it takes up crystal violet, that purple stain that many people remember from their biology lab days...

Positively adorable

That purple dye is taken up by the thick peptidoglycan layer of the cell wall.  This layer helps hold the cell together, so to speak.  This link has an awesome way of explaining it and its function.

So, awesome.  It's gram positive, likes to hang out in chains, and now what. 

Different antibiotics target different elements of bacteria.  Some antibiotics are bacteriocidal, as in they actively kill targeted bacteria.  Sounds great, but sometimes killing too many bacteria at once is a negative.  Some antibiotics are bacteriostatic, where they just prevent the bacteria from replicated.  A little slower way to go about things, but good to help prevent shock from overwhelming the immune system with dead bacteria.  Some antibiotics work better on gram positive bacteria; other are more successful on gram negative.

So let's say we are looking at this Streptococcus and all it's gram positive glory with its peptidoglycan layer.  Perhaps we should look at a way to interfere with this protective shielding.

This of course is the basis of an antibiotic which is very commonly (and excessively) used: Penicillin.

Penicillin binds to an enzyme used by the bacteria to try and rebuild/regrow their cell wall.  They cannot successfully do so and subsequently, the cell wall is shed and the bacteria will die.  

Not to evolve this into the treatment of Strangles, but typically, healthy horses do fine without jumping the gun and running for antibiotics.

Interestingly, I was reading a study talking about trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (SMZ), where it did not indicate one way or another that it efficiently or effectively worked against S. equi spp equi.  Just food for thought.

But in case someone wanted to know a little more about the bug behind the Strangles name, here you go.  There's obviously a lot of literature and a lifetime could be spent thinking about it, but I think it's worthwhile learning a little bit more about common bacteria, viruses, antibiotics, and vaccines used in the equine world. 

Then again I'm wearing a shirt that says "I heart Nerds" so that pretty much defines my position.

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
Benjamin Franklin
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_education.html#IF8uZEjuyDwuk6tL.99

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
Benjamin Franklin
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_education.html#IF8uZEjuyDwuk6tL.99

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
Benjamin Franklin
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_education.html#IF8uZEjuyDwuk6tL.99"

Memory Monday: A Lucky Day

It seemed to be a very unlucky week indeed.  The red filly had choked the day previous and I had the vet out since I get a little paranoid about respiratory inhalation during choke and the subsequent infections.

But fortunately by the time SuperVet came out, the choke had resolved and her breathing was clear.  Good news indeed.  Apparently I just had a super talented horse that was choking on hay/pasture (read: special).

The following day, I went out to feed her the evening grain to watch her chew.  I had her in the barn eating, when I noticed the semi feral mare laying down.  During dinner time.

This was a problem.

My father was out with me, so he went and brought her in and I realized she was colicing.  She had in the past, an occasional gas colic, usually from her skill of consuming food in massive quantities in a very short time.  She is the only horse I've ever seen eat a bale of hay in an hour.  Seriously.  More than once.

So this time, I thought it was probably another gas colic.  She looked like a beached whale or at least a ten month pregnant Arabian mare. 

Another individual at the barn is a vet tech and took a quick listen to her gut and we realized that there were no gut sounds.  Cool.  I had already called the vet, given banamine per orders, and was walking her as she was a little uncomfortable.  At least with banamine on board, she wasn't trying to lay and roll.

Her gums began to pale.  Her head dropped to the levels that would make any western pleasure Quarter Horse proud.  She stopped caring about walking over the nefarious garden hose/snake. 

I don't exactly know when I realized this was something else.  That this was no longer simple.  I called the vet again, who was on her way.  It was late on a Friday evening (of course).  

Verdict: Still hydrated, no organized gut sounds, pale gums, and apparent large colon displacement.  The unfortunate thing is this is usually surgical.  The Semi Feral Mare is nicknamed this for a reason.  Mostly because things like extended stall rest (or even stalling post hock injections) don't go over well.  Staying in one place doesn't necessarily go over well. 

I didn't think she would ever tolerate surgery and the post care, in addition to the obvious finances of it all.  So we decided to go ahead and try the "bumpy trailer ride" route.  Sometimes a jarring trailer ride can displace enough gas or shift enough to cause everything to revert to its proper place.  This of course, required the mare to load onto the trailer.  Despite the fact she was feeling quite dopey, she wasn't particularly interested in loading onto a pitch black trailer at nine thirty at night.

Reason number 765 I love my vet.  She stayed and helped me load that mare on the trailer.  I can load a horse, but sometimes, it's just plain helpful to have someone else.

One bumpy trailer ride later, I had a slightly irritated horse, but still no reduction in gas or manure passing.  Damn.

By this time, the superfriend J had arrived.  I was reaching a point when I realized this was going to be very ugly indeed and despite being involved in the veterinary industry for a while, when it's my own animals, emotions are certainly at play!  J was definitely a good rock that night.

The vet tech friend stopped home and brought sleeping bags so we didn't freeze to death and a couple drinks to ease my nerves.  ;)  We settled into a routine of sleeping in the barn aisle and walking, chasing, lunging, and pretty much anything every hour or so to see if anything would make a difference.

I think it was about midnight when I pulled up her gums and I saw they were red.  I tried mentally to prepare for the worst.  I didn't see the end for this, but at least with enough drugs on board, the mare was fairly comfortable.  She wasn't rolling, she wasn't upset.  She just stood there and stared at us.  

J decided to go get the giant horse soccer ball.  A few years previous, I had attended a clinic involving the soccer ball and it became apparent that is the one thing of which this horse was deathly afraid.  She had run backwards so quickly, she actually ended up laying down.  So perhaps, the soccer ball could scare her out of death.

We went ahead and were kicking it around the arena.  One end of the arena was a little wet and slippery from where an individual always dumped her water buckets.  J went ahead and kept kicking the ball and the mare slipped hard on that slick spot.  She slid across part of the arena, acquiring impressive road rash.  She stood up, shook herself off a bit, and literally began to deflate.  

It had happened.  Somehow in that fall, she was replaced the displacement and moved enough gas around.  She brightened up.  I felt a flutter of hope.  Could it be?

The night was still long and cold.  Like clockwork, we woke up and peeked at her in the stall at short intervals during the night.  As dawn broke and she got restless and pacey from being inside, I knew that she was certainly feeling better.

What a lucky day for a mare.  Who knows how long things may have progressed before being spotted if I hadn't been there checking on the filly's choke?  Don't know, but like to think that early intervention and care (and a slick spot) made a difference.  :)

What A Sassy Day

Some days are just sassy days.  Things are proving to be a little more difficult than originally expected.

I did barn chores today, which was fine.  The horses were all well behaved, which is always a plus.  Sometimes, as we head into winter, some horses forget manners and start to be dolts in hand: rearing, striking, occasionally pushing, and pulling.  As just a stablehand, I don't really want to be responsible for training said beast and let alone be accused of hurting furface when he is striking and accordingly gets shanked, backed up, or what have you as a consequence, but sometimes it happens.  But at least that didn't happen today!

But what did happen was the water was out of commission.  The spigot that turns the water on and off was shut off/cranked too tightly by someone, crushing the washer and some other apparatus inside that keeps it from leaking.  So this morning, the barn owner tried to fix it.  Unfortunately the repair kit for said spigot didn't include the properly sized replacements.

Cool.

Usually, I like to have all the chores done in the morning if possible.  Turning out horses, cleaning stalls, filling water troughs, dumping and refilling inside buckets, putting hay/grain in stalls, and so forth.  The whole water detail was sidelined.  Also a major bummer was a different spigot on the property was busted, so when the original spigot was fixed, water was going to have to be bucketed out to fill an outside trough.

Fortunately, spigot was fixed.  Buckets were filled.  It was late in the afternoon and started getting cold again, but all was well. Just an unexpected deviation from what my original plan was, so instead of spending approximately five hours at the barn, I was there about eight.  But that's how it goes.

When I finally finished doing all of the PM type turn-in and so forth, I waffled on whether or not I wanted to ride.  I haven't ridden since the temperatures plummeted, so I think it's been about a week and a half.  Or maybe even two weeks.  I did, however, have another person at the barn, so I figured if I decided to be not so graceful, at least someone else would be there to scrape my human putty off the wall.  A bit of an exaggeration of course, since I don't really plan on unexpected translocating anytime soon.

I went and fetched the Semi Feral and turned her loose in the indoor.

Oh dear.

A little sassy indeed.  No shaking, whip, or prodding involved to get a whole lot of snort and blow.
(If you have no volume or can't hear, she ended up being a doofus and snorting and blowing for probably ten minutes while I had her in the arena.  She will, occasionally, but this was consuming her whole years supply in those ten minutes, I think!)

I went ahead and rode anyway.  She did pretty well for having been out of work for a short while.  A little tense at first, but then settled in.  I had on her new back on track dressage pad and not sure if it was the pad or what, but her trot was really quite soft and nice.  I can't wait to try riding her again for a longer period of time when she's feeling a little more connected and I have time to work her harder.  our ride was a little short as I didn't want her to get sweaty since I was running out of time to go from the farm to the veterinary clinic where I needed to check in.

But even short rides have their merits.  I am glad I went ahead, despite all signs on a "sassy" day to just take the easy way out.